If you suffer with seasonal allergies, you're well aware of how a sudden onset of scratchy and watery eyes, violent sneezing, and a constant runny nose can hamper your day. Sometimes called hay fever or allergic rhinitis, seasonal allergies affect tens of millions of people throughout North America every year.

What causes seasonal allergies? When an outdoor or indoor allergen comes into contact with your body, your immune system may trigger the production of an antibody called immunoglobin E, also called IgE. If this happens, the next time that you are exposed to that allergen, IgE antibodies in your body release a chemical called histamine, which sets off a series of chemical reactions that can result in any of the following eliminative reactions: Read more about A Natural Approach To Treating Seasonal Allergies

When asked for advice on how to address any chronic health challenge, I like to remind my clients about the importance of getting deep, restful sleep. It's during restful sleep that your body produces hormones that are essential to healing (growth hormone, testosterone, and erythropoietin). These hormones work together with your self-healing mechanisms to restore every part of your health. Read more about How to Sleep Better

During my first few years of private practice, for most cases of jaw pain and dysfunction, I applied a carefully executed manual adjustment to the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ), also known as the jaw joint, found in front of each ear. This is the protocol that I learned as an intern from a supervising clinician. Read more about Natural Treatment Plan For Jaw Pain

Before I share a great little tip on how to stop a sore throat from progressing into a week-long cold, please know that periodically experiencing a cold or the flu can actually be helpful to your health. If you have no idea why this is, please view the following popular article that I wrote on this topic:

Over the weekend, I was at a park with our boys when I felt a colossal wave of pain hit one of the toes of my right foot. After scrambling to get my sandal off, I looked inside to find a bee that was curled up and unable to move.

For years, the standard protocol for treating a sprained ankle has been the R.I.C.E. method - Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. While this protocol typically prevents further damage and allows for gradual healing of a sprained joint, sports medicine practitioners are finding that sprains tend to heal most effectively when the injured joint is exercised as soon as possible.

If you feel somewhat brittle and easily predisposed to suffering from strains and sprains, I encourage you to visit a health practitioner who provides myofascial release treatment.

Myofascial release, also called "skin rolling," is often provided along with other treatments like massage, stretching, and joint mobilisation and manipulation. The vast majority of registered massage therapists, chiropractors, naturopathic physicians, and osteopathic physicians have training with myofascial release. Read more about Health Benefits of Myofascial Release (Skin Rolling)

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The contents of this website are the opinions of Dr. Ben Kim unless otherwise noted. The information on this website is not intended as personalized medical advice and is not intended to replace the relationship that you have with your primary care provider. Any decisions you make with regard to your daily choices and medical treatments should be made with the help of a qualified health care provider.